“These are turbulent times! Business is certainly not plain sailing any more!” I witnessed this pronouncement from a seasoned business executive recently, and was immediately awash with mental images on a nautical theme.

Now I’m not a sailor, by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know enough to recognize that there a powerful analogy here. If we can ‘see’ the true picture of our current circumstances, the parallel situation might assist us to find some rewarding options in dealing with them. With this thought in mind I set to work to explain and clarify the difficulties we may be experiencing with these ‘turbulent times’.

Come for a sail with me on the good ship ‘Organization’. She’s always been a sound vessel, not always pretty but seaworthy enough to get us to our destination. The crew has had its ‘ups and downs’ but is quite stable, reasonably well trained and most have good sea legs. The skipper appears to have a firm hand on the tiller and we’re making headway.

Then the weather turns, and we’re facing a squall perhaps even a major storm. The winds of market forces are beating hard against our ‘sales’ and the marketing ‘mast’ is showing some strain. The first response is to make a change in direction, but if we do that without trimming the sails, we could lose speed and might even capsize.

Every member of the crew is reacting to the freshening demands of the weather and jumping to the rapid-fire orders of the skipper. There’s fear, anxiety, confusion, discomfort and more challenges than we can respond to effectively. This is a marked change from the easy, gentle and leisurely ‘plain sailing’ of a short time before.

We must understand the configuration and characteristics of the organizational boat - if we are to handle her successfully. The primary need is for stability and control. The keel (organizational culture) is not visible, but it’s there, holding us upright and preserving our present course and momentum. Leave it to do its job, for to tamper with it as we are experiencing difficulties will only exacerbate the situation. Similarly, this is not the time to start to redesign the hull (corporate infrastructure) or to throw crew members overboard (right-sizing). The stability and control we seek is in the set of the rudder (corporate priorities) and the trim of the sails (exposure to market). We batten the hatches (costs), secure the cargo (assets), check and tighten the rigging lines (communications).

The skipper must keep the boat on a steady heading while watching the effects of the weather and the impacts on the sails continuously. (S)He must ‘read’ the weather, as well as the charts, and plot a safe course that will keep us on course to the extent possible but minimize the threats of extreme conditions. The crew needs to work together, for changing the configuration of the sails can be very dangerous work when weather conditions are hostile, notwithstanding available technologies. Better if we’d anticipated the need and formulated a few basic drills so that the crew already knew, and had practiced, what was expected and did not need to spend valuable time debating issues (formally or informally).

A well trained, spirited and optimistic crew was selected for this boat originally, and the captain’s prime task now is to sustain individual /collective contributions to drive the boat.

Mutinies and disputes are quickly identified and resolved, not left to fester. Every member looks out for his/her ‘mates’ since not to do so could mean collective suicide. Most boat crews I’ve encountered really like one another. They want to work together.

The priorities are crystal clear – on a sailing boat. Why, I wonder, do we not make them as clear within our organizations? The chances of foundering are just as high, and the consequences are just as devastating. Do we really have to re- learn this lesson?